Flush valve operator



T- P. NEWMAN 2,2

FLUSH VALVE OPERATOH Filed 001;. 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T. P. NEWMANI 2,25,M

FLUSH VALVE OPERATOR FiledOcc. 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June25, 1940 r rrlc FLUSH VALVE OPERATOR Thomas P. Newman, Geneva, 111.,assignor to Crane O'o., Illinois Chicago,

Application October 27,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism pertaining to flush valveoperating or tripping devices, and more particularly, it relates to anovel valve tripping mechanism for use on folding or pivot- 5 able waterclosets where it is desired to supply the closet bowl with a water sealor priming flush upon predetermined movement of the said bowl from aninoperative to an operative position. A folding or pivotable type closetbowl and a dual type flush valve, both of which are referred to in thisspecification, are more completelyillustrated and described in thepatent applications Serial No. 214,428, filed June 18, 1938, and SerialNo. 253,062, filed January 2'7, 1939, respectively, in which I am aco-inventor ofthe first named patent application.

One of the more important. objects of this invention lies in theprovision of a flush valve tripping mechanism which operates the valvehandle or actuator during the unfolding movement of the closet bowl andwhich, when the closet is in the unfolded or operative position,functions to effect a complete release of the valve handle from thetripped position.

A further object is to provide a flush valve tripping device whichpreferably is so constructed and so arranged that it positively actuatesthe valve handle during the unfolding movement of the closet bowl butwhich does not actuate the valve handle during the folding up movementof the closet bowl.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an easily adjustableand conveniently removable flush valve operating mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will beapparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:i

Fig. 1 is a side exterior view slightly in plan perspective of a foldingcloset bowl embodying my invention and in which figure the bowl is shownin the operative and unfolded position.

Fig. 2 is a partly sectional view of a dual type 4 5 flush valve showingthe relative positioning of the valve tripping mechanism with respect tothe bowl when the valve and the closet bowl are in the operativeposition.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the flush valve 1,; and the trippingdevice showing progressively by the solid lines and the dotted lines themanner in which the tripping mechanism permits the return of the closetbowl to the folded position without actuation of the flush valve.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the valve 111., a corporation of1939, Serial No. 301,557

handle in the tripped or operated position during the movement of thebowl and valve from the folded to the unfolded position.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings. 5

The following brief description of a typical installation embodying apreferred construction of my invention is provided for illustrativepurposes only and it is. of course, to be clearly understood that theinvention may be applied to other de- 19 vices in which a similar meansof actuation is desirable.

Referring to Fig. 1, the folding closet bowl generally designated I isshown in the unfolded or operative position and is mounted upon a pivot-I able hollow trunnion 2, the said bowl and trunnion beinginterconnected by the water supply and discharge conduits 3 and 4,respectively. Flushing water is supplied to the fixture for the usualpurpose through the pipe 5 having connection with a suitable source ofwater supply (not shown) and with the direction of the water flow beingtaken as indicated by the arrow. Preferably, but not necessarilyrequired, in connection with the control of such water supply, a stopvalve 25 6 is provided so that in the event it is necessary to makeadjustments upon the assembly, or to make repairs or inspection of thefixture, the stop valve may be used to shut off the water supply to thefixture. The latter valve is attached by means of a suitable pipeconnection 1 to the lower portion of the hollow trunnionbase or bearing8.

The trunnion 2 comprises a hollow journaled 'tube which is preferablyinternally partitioned to r cause one end to provide a suitablepassageway for the inlet water supply between the bearing 8 and theconduit 3, and to cause the other end of the trunnion to provide asuitable passageway for the discharge water between the dischargeconduit l and the outlet 9. The trunnion 2, addition to providing waterpassageways for the flushing operations of the bowl, also provides ajournaled support for the bowl which permits the upward rotationalmovement of the bowl about the horizontal axis of the trunnion to thefolded or inoperative position.

A dual type flush valve generally designated H 'is preferably, althoughnot necessarily, at-- tached to the side of the bowl I and interconnectsthe inlet conduit Swith the usual internal flushing water passageways(not shown) of the bowl. A dual type flushing valve is provided inconnection with the bowl for the manifold purposes of furnishing thebowl with an automatically supplied priming or sealing water flush uponmovement of the bowl from the folded or inoperative position to theunfolded or operative position and, after the bowl has been used, tofurnish a discharge flush upon manual tripping or operation of the flushvalve in the preferred manner hereinafter described at greater length.

Attention is now directed to Fig.2. The con struction of the dual valveH comprises a casing which, as illustrated, is divided into two chambersl2 and I3 both of which are'interconnected by means of the port M. Eachof the chambers i2 and i3 is provided with a valve closure member l5which may be actuated by tilting the stem I6 thereof to one side. Themanual means of operation provided to trip the valve comprises the footpedal l! which, when depressed, causes the lever l8 to move inwardly,thus forcing the plunger IE) to move forward against the action of thespring 2! to tilt the stem IS. A tiltable handle 22 for independentactuation is preferably provided with a roller 23 near its outermost endand which functions in connection with the chamber I3 for forcing aplunger identical to E9 to move forward and to trip the similarlymounted valve contained in the chamber I3. The complete construction andmanner of operation of the dual type flush valve, as has been previouslymentioned, appears in another patent application, Serial No. 253,062.

More particularly, the present invention concerns an adjustable andremovable mechanism for actuating the tiltable valve handle 22 andcomprises the arm 24 and the pawl 25 which are preferably mounted uponthe trunnion bearing 8, although these parts may be otherwise mountedwith relation to the bowl.

An apertured lug 26 is provided upon the upper portion of the trunnionbearing 8, and the arm 24, which has its lower end provided with theslot or elongated aperture 21, is attached to the lug 25 by the bolt 28.The slot 21 is preferably made elongated in order to furnish a means forthe coarse vertical and horizontal adjustment of the pawl 25. Vernier,or more accurate adjustment of the pawl position, is provided for by theset screw 29 which extends through the branch member 3| and with thelower end of the screw 29 abutting the bearing 8.

The uppermost end of the arm 24, as more clearly shown in the sectionalportion of Fig. 3, extends into a recess 32 within the pawl 25, thelatter member being rotatably mounted and attached to the arm 24 by thepin 33. Rotational movement of the pawl is limited in the counter--clockwise direction by a preferably rubber bumper 34 abutting theshoulder 35 to limit such movement, while in the clockwise directionrotational movement is resisted by the leaf-spring 35 and is furtherrestricted by the end wall portion of the recess 32. The spring 36 isprovided to effectively index or to maintain the pawl normally in asubstantially vertical position.

As shown in Fig. 2, the bowl and flush valve are in the unfolded oroperative position and, assuming that it is desired tofold up or to movethe closet to the inoperative position, the fixture may be rotated in aclockwise direction about the axis of the trunnion 2 whereupon, as shownby the solid lines in Fig. 3, the roller 23 contacts the upper endsurface portion of the pawl 25. Inasmuch as during the folding upmovement of the fixture it is not desirable to trip the handle 22 andflush the bowl, the pawl 25 is made to rotate about the pin 33 and, asshown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the pawl assumes a rocked positionwhich permits the valve handle to proceed therepast without actuation ofthe handle 22. Upon further movement of the fixture toward theinoperative position the pawl is released from contact with theroller'23, whereupon the spring 36 then returns the pawl to the indexedposition.

As shown in Fig. 4, the bowl and the flush valve are in the process ofbeing moved from the inoperative to the operative position. At thisstage of its operation, the roller 23, as shown, contacts with the uppersurface portion of the indexing pawl 25 and as the fixture l continuesto rotate in a counterclockwise direction, the valve handle is tilted orcanted upwardly to actuate the valve and to furnish the closet bowl witha priming flush. Further movement of the bowl toward the operativeposition releases the tilted valve handle 22 and allows the latter toreturn to its normal untripped position, as shown more clearly in Fig.1, thus completing its cycle of operation between respective folded andunfolded positions of the closet bowl.

Having thus described my invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, itis to be expressly understood that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimsappended hereto.

I claim:

1. In combination, a foldable type closet bowl, a flush valve therefor,means for actuating the said flush valve upon unfolding movement of thesaid bowl, the said means comprising a tiltable valve actuator, trippingmeans for the said actuator, the said tripping means including an armfixedly mounted upon a stationary base, a pawl rotatably secured to theend of the said arm in the path of the said actuator, the said pawlproviding indexing means, whereby upon folding movement of the saidcloset bowl the said pawl releases to permit untripped movement of thesaid valve actuator and upon unfolding movement of the said closet bowlthe said pawl is indexed to trip the said valve actuator.

2. In combination, an arcuately'movable closet bowl, a flush valvetherefor, means for actuating the said flush valve upon movement of thebowl to an operative position, said latter means comprising a pivotallymounted actuator, means for pivotally moving the said actuator, the saidlatter 7 means including an arm fixedly mounted with relation to thesaid bowl, an indexing member in the arcuate path of the actuatorrotatably secured to the said arm, whereby upon arcuate movement of thesaid closet bowl in one direction 4 valve actuator and a tripping meansfor the said P actuator, the said tripping means including an adjustablearm fixedly mounted relative to the said bowl, a pawl loosely secured tothe end of the said arm in the path of the said actuator, the

said pawl having indexing means, whereby upon folding movement of thesaid closet bowl the said pawl is moved to permit untripped movement ofthe said valve actuator and upon unfolding movement of the said closetthe said pawl is held relatively fixed totrip the said valve actuator.

4. In an arcuately movable Water closet bowl having a flush valve in"connection therewith, the said flush valve having automatic means ofactuation, the said antomatic means comprising respective tiltable meansand tripping means for the said tiltabie means, the said tripping meansincluding an arm mounted upon a stationary base, a pawl in, pivotalrelation with the said arm and positioned in the path of the saidtiltable THOMAS P. NEWMAN.

